Male tab for electrical connector



April 30, 1963 G. s. REIDER, JR 3,088,088

MALETAB FORELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Aug. :5, 1960 j 36 so INVENTOR. GEORGE 3. RE\DER JR a x; 7m 1- United States Patent 3,088,088 MALE TAB FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR George S. Reider, Jr., Highspire, Pa., assignor to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed Aug. 3, 1960, Ser. No. 47,179 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-32) In the art of making electrical connections, it is trequently desirable to secure mating connectors :to a pair of conductors so that the conductors may be joined together or detached at will. One connector assembly of this type is disclosed in the patent to Schumacher et al., No. 2,744,244. One element of the connector is comprised of a flat, blade-type member, called a tab, secured to a ferruleforming member whereby the \ferrule forming member may be crimped onto a conductor. The mating member comprises a receptacle which receives the tab and has a spring means for holding the tab in the receptacle. The receptacle is also secured to a ferrule-forming member which may be crimpcd onto the second conductor. The conductors may be joined or disjoined by insertion or extraction of the tab relative to the receptacle.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a tab and receptacle arrangement whereby a single tab is capable of receiving different sized receptacles. The versatility of this tab is achieved without increasing the size of complexity of the tab.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but is vgiven for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various for-ms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE =1 represents .a perspective view of the tab portion of an electrical connector and illustrating the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view illustrating a receptacle secured to the tab of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view illustrating a receptacle of a different size secured to the tab of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view showing the relationship between the tab and receptacles of difierent sizes; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken through plane 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

The male connector assembly, as shown in FIGURE 1, includes a base portion and a flat, blade-like tab portion'1 2. The base member 10, as shown in the illustranve embodiment, is comprised of a stamped sheet metal plate which may be bolted .or otherwise secured to an electrical circuit. The tab .12 is also metallic and is integral with the base 10 and has a pair of parallel sides H6 and 18. A notch 20 is cut into the side 16 at an angle thereto, preferably during the stamping operation, intermediate the ends of the surface 16. A receptacle mating surtace 21 is formed by the notch 20. The front or leading edge of the tab member comprises a surface '22 which is disposed at a right-angle to the axis of the tab. The top of the surface 18 and the corresponding end of the edge 2Q 3,088,088 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 are cut away to form a second receptacle mating surface 24 which is parallel to the first receptacle mating surface 21. Thus there are two pairs of parallel sides, namely, 16 and 18, extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tab 12, and a second pair of parallel sides 21 and Q4 which are at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the tab. It is noted that each pair of sides define different widths.

A female receptacle 26 comprises ferrule-forming means .28, a flat sheet metal member 30, and a pair of cars 32 and 34 curled inwardly to torrn sprin-glike members (see FIGURE 5 described in the Schumacher et a1. patent noted above).

As shown in FIGURES 2-4, .a receptacle Q6 of one size is adapted to mate with the tab 14 by engagement of the parallel sides 16 and 18 with the rolled-over spring members of the receptacle. A receptacle 26 of a second size is adapted to .be inserted into the tab with the spring members projecting into the notch 20 so that the surtace .21 and the surface 24 accommodate the rolled-over spring members 32 and 34'. Dimple-like members 36 and 36' may be struck into the tab to mate with a corresponding boss on the receptacle, as described in the patent to Schumacher referred to above.

It is noted that the described device permits a single tab to accommodate at least two different sized receptacles without increasing the bulk or complexity of the tab.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art and various apparently different modifications .and embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the toregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective against the prior art.

I claim:

1. An electrical connector including means for securing said connector to an electrical receptacle, said connector comprising: a base portion and a flat, blade-like portion, said blade-like portion having a first pair of parallel sides substantially equal to the width of the receptacle adapted to be received, said blade-like portion having a leading edge which extends from one of said sides a distance less than the width of said sides, and a pair of receptacle-receiving surfaces comprising a first surface extending from said leading edge to one of said sides, and a second surface parallel to the first surface, projecting into the blade-like member.

2. An electrical connector including means tor securing said connector to an electrical receptacle, said connector comprising: a base portion and a flat, blade-like portion, said blade-like portion having a first pair of sides substantially equal to the width of the receptacle adapted to be received, said blade-like portion also having a leading edge which extends trom one of said sides a distance less than the width of said sides, said blade-like member also having a pair of receptacle-receiving surfaces comprising a first surface extending from said leading edge to one of said first sides, and a second surface projecting into the other side of the blade-lilce member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,762,030 #Scoville Sept. 4, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 146,949 Australia Feb. 26, 1948 

2. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR INCLUDING MEANS FOR SECURING SAID CONNECTOR TO AN ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE, SAID CONNECTOR COMPRISING: A BASE PORTION AND A FLAT, BLADE-LIKE PORTION, SAID BLADE-LIKE PORTION HAVING A FIRST PAIR OF SIDES SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE RECEPTACLE ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED, SAID BLADE-LIKE PORTION ALSO HAVING A LEADING EDGE WHICH EXTENDS FROM ONE OF SAID SIDES A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID SIDES, SAID BLADE-LIKE MEMBER ALSO HAVING A PAIR OF RECEPTACLE-RECEIVING SURFACES COMPRISING A FIRST SURFACE EXTENDING FROM SAID LEADING EDGE TO ONE OF SAID FIRST SIDES, AND A SECOND SURFACE PROJECTING INTO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BLADE-LIKE MEMBER. 